Vapor electric device.



direct path of the are.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. I

JOSEPH II- R. HAYDEN, OF SCHENECIADY, LIEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 GENERAL ELEC- TRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK. I

VAPOR ELECTRIC DEVICE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH Ln RoY HAY- DEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Schenectady, county of Schenectady,

State of New York, have invented certain because of the liberation of gases by the electrodes of the tube.

According to my present invention, the. foreign gases of the tube are segregatedin the condensing chamber or in some other part of the tube. where they are out of the This segregation may be produced by covering or inclosing a portion of the condensing chamber with a metal covering or shell connected to a point having a potential different from that of the gases or vapors in the rectifier tube, By this means the gases are held in the condensing chamber by electrostatic attraction and are thus kept out of the path of the vapor arcs.

An embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the drawing forming a part of this specification.

This drawingillustrates a constant current rectifier provided with an electrostatic The mercury rectifier may be of an ordinary typecomprising a central condensing chamber 1, anode arms 2 and 3, and a mercury cathode 4. ,Pne anode arms 2. and 3 preferably converge immediately above the cathode i-"and communicate with the condensing chamber 1 through a relatively small opening 5. When current is passing through the tube in normal manner, arcs are roduced to cathode 4 from anodes 6 and A rectifier of the type above described is suitable for converting alternating current into direct current to supply a constant'cur- Specification of Letters Patent.

-or flaring.

rent load. The alternating current source may consist of-a transformer of ordinary type having a secondary with its terminals connected directly to anodes 6 and 7 and with a central tap 10 connected to one' side of the load circuit 11. The cathode'blast of the arc tends to carry foreign gases directly upward through opening 5 and into the condensing chamber, so that the arc naturally tends to keep foreign gases out of the anode arms.

So long as the quantity of gas within the tube remains low, the arc will gradually seg- Patented Oct. 24, 1911. Application filed April 16, 1907-. Serial No. 368,490.

regate the gases in the condensing chamber,

but if for any reason the quantity of gas is suddenly augmented, this segregation of foreign gases may not be rapid enough to prevent the rectifier from fading or grad ually going out. To insure a more rapid segregation of foreign gases and to provide for the retention of these gases in the condensing chamber, I place a metal shell 12 about a portion of the condensing chamber, as over the end thereof, and I electrically charge this shell by connecting it to one of the conductors of the system and preferably to the load circuit on the side nearest the transformer tap 10. In my opinion this:

shell and to make the lower part bell-shaped What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is, 1. In a vapor electric device cooperating electrodes, an evacuated envelop having a condensing chamber situated opposite a negative electrode and extending away from said electrode and a conductive member surrounding a remote portion only of said con densing chamber to electrostatically keep gases therein out of the path of the arc.

2. In a vapor electnc device having an wooden tips 1 1. I prefer to perforate the evacuated envelop-comprising one or more are chambers and a condensing chamber 7 communicating therewith through a relatively small opening, the combination of means for electrostatically attracting gases contained in said condensing chamber to restrain their diffusion to the arc chambers.

3. In a mercury vapor rectifier, the combination of cooperating electrodes, a condensing chamber communicating through a relatively small opening opposite the cathode with the space surrounding said electrodes and a metal 'shellinclosing a portion of the condensing chamber remote from said opening to electrostatically attract gases segregated within said envelop and means for. 

